Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
1998 International RERTR Meeting

Postirradiation Examination of High-Density Uranium Alloy Dispersion Fuels

S. L. Hayes, M. K. Meyer, G. L. Hofman, and R. V. Strain
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, IL USA

Abstract

Two irradiation test vehicles, designated RERTR-1 and RERTR-2, were inserted into the Advanced Test Reactor in Idaho in August 1997. These irradiation tests were designed to obtain irradiation performance information on a variety of potential new, high-density uranium alloy dispersion fuels, including U-10Mo, U-8Mo, U-6Mo, U-4Mo, U-9Nb-3Zr, U-6Nb-4Zr, U-5Nb-3Zr, U-6Mo-1Pt, U-6Mo-0.6Ru and U-10Mo-0.05Sn; the intermetallic compounds U₂Mo and U₃Si₂ were also included in the fuel test matrix. These fuels are included in the experiments as "microplates" (76 mm x 22 mm x 1.3 mm outer dimensions) loaded to a fuel volume fraction of 25% and irradiated at relatively low temperature (~100°C). RERTR-1 and RERTR-2 were discharged from the reactor in November 1997 and July 1998, respectively, at peak fuel burnups of approximately 40 and 70 at.% ²³⁵U. RERTR-1 is currently being examined at the Alpha Gamma Hot Cell Facility at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, and shipment of RERTR-2 to the hot cell is anticipated by the end of August 1998. This paper presents the postirradiation examination results available from these experiments, including microplate dimensional characterization, gamma-ray spectroscopy, swelling measurements, and metallography.